Sign, preferably registration sign for vehicles, and method for the manufacture thereof

Abstract: The present invention relates to a sign, preferably a registration sign for vehicles, which sign (2) includes a portion or member (16) consisting of a portion of a film web (6) or of a row of separate film portions, whereby said portion (16) is provided with information (3), preferably registration symbols or characters for vehicles, while toner material (25) has been applied thereon by electronically variable application in an electronic printer. For being able to manufacture this sign at low costs and by means of a simple manufacturing method, the toner material is applied on a surface of said portion (16), preferably a surface (23) reflecting light from headlamps, by means of an electronic printer in the form of an ionographic printer (24) wherein the toner material is fixed on the surface of said portion (16) with pressure by a cold pressure and fixing method.

Description: The present invention relates to a sign for vehicles, which sign includes a film portion of a film web, said film portion being provided with registration symbols or characters made from toner material which is applied on a surface of said film portion reflecting light from headlamps, by means of an electronic printer, the film portion being located between a bottom plate and a front plate of such transparent material that the registration characters on said film portion are visible therethrough. The present invention also relates to a method for the manufacture thereof. From the publication EP-A-0 457 544 it is previously known to provide registration information on registration signs for vehicles by means of electronic printers and according to a predetermined program. Hereby, the electronic printers transfer a toner material to a travelling web of material in accordance with said program, whereafter the toner material is fixed on said web by means of a fusing method, or transferred to another web of material and fixed thereon by a fusing method. The publication US-A-5 017 416 discloses to use an ionographic printer wherein the toner material is fixed on a surface with pressure by a cold pressure fixing method. The publication DE-A-2 549 660 discloses the use of a frame surrounding a sign package. However, the abovementioned publications are not disclosing a sign which is easy to produce, has a durable construction and is difficult to manipulate. The object of the present invention is therefore to produce a sign to a low cost and so that the construction of the sign is durable and difficult to manipulate. According to the invention this is arrived at substantially while the sign has been provided with the characterizing features of claim 1. The invention also relates to a simple method for manufacturing the signs defined above and this is arrived at according to the invention substantially by means of the characterizing features of claim 10. Since the toner material is fixed on a preferably light-reflecting surface of the sign by means of an ionographic printer with pressure by a cold pressure and fixing method, the sign can be manufactured using less complex equipment than previously while among other things it is no longer necessary to coordinate the rotary motion of a transfer drum for transferring the toner material with the speed of the web of material onto which said toner material shall be transferred. Since the frame of the sign is an injection plastic moulded frame which obstructs penetration of moisture and/or contaminations, the construction of the sign is durable and difficult to manipulate. The invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein fig. 1 schematically illustrates a plant for manufacturing signs in accordance with the method of the invention; fig. 2 with a plan view schematically illustrates members forming part of the plant of fig. 1 as well as a web produced for manufacturing signs; fig. 3 with a side view schematically illustrates an ionographic printer forming part of the plant of fig. 1; fig. 4 is a perspective view of a sign according to the invention manufactured in the plant of fig. 1, whereby the frame of the sign is partially cut away; and fig. 5 with a perspective view illustrates a corner portion of the sign of fig. 4, whereby various parts forming the sign are shown partially in section. The plant 1 illustrated in fig. 1 is adapted for continuous production of registration signs 2 for vehicles with different registration numbers 3, e.g. in consecutive order ABC 123, ABC 124, ABC 125, ABC 126.. ..ABC 130 and so on. The plant 1 comprises a station 4 with a film roll 5 from which a web 6 is unrolled (instead of a roll, station 4 may alternatively include a sheet magazine). This film web 6 is run through a registration-number printing station 7 to a station 8 wherein a plastic-film web 9 with adhesive properties on both sides is brought to the film web 6 from a roll 10 of plastic film. The film webs 6, 9 are run through a station 11 wherein front plates 12 are transferred to said webs 6, 9 from a front plate magazine 13. The webs 6, 9 with front plates 12 fixed thereon are moved through a compressing station 14 and thereafter through a cutting station 15 wherein the webs are cut in portions 16 such that each portion is provided with a complete registration number. These portions 16 with front plates 12 are fed through a station 17 wherein bottom plates 18 are transferred to said portions 16 from a magazine 19 and said portions 16 including front plates 16 and bottom plates 18 are finally run through an injection moulding machine 20 wherein a frame 21 is injection moulded around each portion 16 and its front plate 12 and bottom plate 18, whereafter the registration signs 2 are finished. The film web 6 running through the station 7 for printing the registration numbers is on the top side provided with a layer 22 of material that forms a light-reflecting surface 23. This surface 23 is intended to reflect headlamp light from vehicles. Printing of registration numbers is carried out continuously on the light-reflective surface 23 of the film web 6 by means of an ionographic printer 24 which applies toner material 25 onto said surface 23 and fix it thereon with pressure while the film web 6 runs through the printer 24 at full speed. Ionographic printers 24 with such a picture transmitting function to travelling webs are already known and is therefore only schematically shown in fig. 3. As is apparent from this figure, such an ionographic printer 24 includes a drum 26 for transferring toner material 25 in accordance with a predetermined picture to the film web 6 from above, a counter pressure roll 27 located under the web 6 just opposite to the drum 26, a so called ion cassette 28 situated close to the peripheral surface of the drum 26 and a magazine 29 for particulate toner material 25. The magazine 29 is located, seen in the direction of rotation R of the drum 26, after the ion cassette 28 and its toner material 25 is intended to be transferred to the drum 26 by a brush 30. The ionographic printer 24 further includes, in the direction of rotation R of the drum 26 after the point of contact of said drum 26 with the web 6, a scraper 31 for removing toner material remaining on the drum 26 as well as an erasing unit 32. The ionographic printer 24 principally operates such that a supply of positive and negative ions are generated in a chamber. The positive ions are attracted by a negatively charged ion generator while some of the negative ions are gathered to a beam which is attracted by the drum 26, said drum being grounded and having a dielectric surface. When the ion beam is not used, it is held back by a strong negative field. In order for the ion beam to accelerate towards the surface of the drum 26 during build-up of the latent picture or image, the "finger"-conduits are charged with a high negative charge in relation to the shielding field. During build-up of the latent picture - here a registration number - ionization occurs by means of what is called "drive"-conduits or "finger"-conduits. In order to e.g. obtain a resolution of 240 points/inch, 2048 drive units are required. However, the number can be reduced in a simple manner. An inclined matrix is defined by 16 "drive"-conduits and 128 "finger"-conduits, which requires only 144 drive units. The function is that when an area to be charged is passing under an ion bean, the "drive"-conduit as well as the "finger"-conduit for that ion beam is activated. In practice, each "drive"-conduit is activated in turn while simultaneously the "finger"-conduits for the ion beams to be used are activated. When the latent registration number on the drum 26 is brought in contact with the toner material 25 applied by the brush 30, a circuit is defined since the toner material is conductive. Negative charge disappear from the toner material 25 through the circuit and the remaining positive charge generates attraction forces between the toner material and the negatively charged registration number on the surface of the drum 26. The toner material 25 is thereafter transferred to the surface 23 of the web 6 and fixed by means of pressure which can be generated by the counter pressure roll 27 as a holder-on for the web 6. The process is a cold pressure and fixing method, in English "transfixing" since transfer and fixing of the toner material 25 occur in the same process. Since a certain charge and some toner material 25 remain on the surface of the drum 26, two processes are needed for preparing the dielectric surface. A scraper 31 (knife) of softer material than the dielectric drum scrapes off old toner material 25 from the surface. This toner material is thereafter received in a collecting rail. An erasing unit 32 which shall reset the surface of the drum 26 to earth or ground level, consists of a thread of resistance material which is located behind a screen of conductive material. The screen is held at a variable voltage potential while an RF-signal is applied on the thread. This creates a lot of free ions which makes the surface uncharged. The ionographic printer 24 is controlled to print registration numbers 3 on the light-reflective surface 23 of the web in accordance with a predetermined program. This program can be recorded by a customer on a diskette 33 (or transmitted through a modem or another data carrier) and e.g. include an order for registration signs with registration numbers from ABC 123 to ABC 999. From these registration signs, two of each registration number shall be ordered for each vehicle (if it is replacement signs, only one can be ordered), and except for the registration number each sign can be provided with other marks and/or symbols, e.g. a field marking for a tax receipt and other numbers and/or bar codes for each sign 2. The diskette 33 is inserted into a computer 34 controlling a control unit 35 which in turn operates the ionographic printer 24 to continuously provide toner pictures or images on the drum 26 corresponding to registration numbers and other information in the predetermined program and to continuously transmit these images to the reflecting surface 23 of the web 6 while the web 6 travels through the ionographic printer 24. With this method new registration numbers 3 for registration signs 2 for vehicles can be printed continously on a web 6 which travels at a speed of e.g. 25-50 m/min. and with a great adhesitivity to the reflecting surface 23 of the web. As is schematically shown in fig. 2, the web 6 will be provided with closely behind each other located fields with registration numbers 3, whereby each registration number 3 is printed or written an optional number of times, e.g. once, twice, thrice and so on, before the next registration number 3 is printed. The film web 6 provided with registration numbers 3 runs through the station 8 wherein the on both sides adhesive, transparent web 9 of plastic film is continuously adhered onto the top side thereof. This web 9 of plastic film includes a layer 36 of a binding agent, e.g. an adhesive layer, on the underside to enable this adherence to the web 6. The web 9 further comprises a layer 37 of a binding agent, e.g. an adhesive layer on the top or upper side for adhering the front plates 12 thereon. This is carried out continuously in station 11 and in station 14 the plastic-film webs 6 and 9 and the front plates 12 are pressed against each other to ensure that they are attached to each other. The webs 6, 9 attached to each other and with the front plates 12 attached thereto, are cut continuously in cutting station 15 such that sign packages 38 are continuously obtained, whereby each sign package 38 consists of the bottom plate 18, portion 16 and front plate 12. These sign packages 38 are continuously moved to the station 17 for continuous supply of bottom plates 18. These plates have a layer 39 of a binding agent, preferably an adhesive layer, on one side, whereby a bottom plate 18 can be brought to adhere to that portion 16 of the sign package 38 which is formed by the film web 6. Alternatively, the layer 39 of binding agent can be applied to the underside of the film web 6 instead, or a separate layer 39 of binding agent can be placed between the film web 6 and bottom plate 18 with special equipment. The sign packages 38, which now consist of the front plate 12, portion 16 (including the film 9 with adhesive on both sides) and bottom plate 18, are continuously transferred to the injection moulding device 20, in which the sign packages 38 are continuously provided with the frame 21. This frame 21 is made of a plastic material which is injection moulded along and around the edges of the sign package 38 in such a way that it sealingly closes said sign package along all sides thereof. The frame 21 preferably has a substantially U-shaped cross section, whereby its web portion 40 from the outside covers the edges of the sign package 38, while one of its shanks 41 closely engages the underside of the bottom plate 18 and the other shank 42 closely engages the upper or top side of the front plate 12. The sign portions are preferably made of plastic material of such similar type that the sign can be completely recovered. The frame 21 preferably consists of the same or similar plastic material as the members engaged thereby - such as the bottom plate 18 and front plate 12 and eventually the edges of intermediate portions 9 and 16. Hereby, the plastic material of the frame 21 may through heating be fused or melted together with the plastic material of the bottom and front plates 18 and 12 respectively, and eventually with the plastic material of portions 9 and 16, whereby the frame 21 defines a completely sealed unit together with the members and portion 12, 18, 9 and 16 within said frame. The registration signs 2 ordered according to the program of the customer are thereby manufactured continuously at a high speed and with exactly the registration numbers 3 ordered by the customer, whereby it is possible to produce complete registration signs at a high speed. Each manufactured registration sign 2 is designed such that its registration number can not be damaged or made indistinct during normal use. Each registration sign 2 made also becomes so robust that it can withstand heavy shock loads and have such elasticity that is yields instead of break in light collisions. Additionally, the film web 6 may consist of or contain such material and/or be designed such that damages thereon and/or on other portions of the sign can not be hidden if one tries to restore the film web 6 and/or other portions of the sign or unauthorized manipulation thereof. The invention is not limited to the signs defined above or to the method described above for the manufacture thereof, but the sign and the method of manufacture may vary within the scope of the following claims. As examples of alternatives to the sign and the method of manufacture defined above, it should be mentioned that the signs need not be manufactured with registration numbers in consecutive order but in other orders as desired by the customer. The web on which the information shall be applied can be of the type used for manufacturing plastic labels, but also of other suitable materials, e.g. plastic material. The web may - as is shown in fig. 1 - consist of a longitudinal film band or strip, but it can alternatively consist of a row of separate film portions. The double adhesive plastic film web can be dispensed with and the front plates instead be provided with a layer of binding agent in order to directly attach these and the web carrying the information to each other. The web with the information can be provided with watermarks or another visible or invisible security marking. If the signs comprise various layers as is shown in the drawings, these layers are preferably pasted to each other along the major portion, preferably all portions of their surfaces, which prevents penetration of moisture and particles of dirt therebetween. Hereby, it is ensured that one also can drill holes through the signs for mounting screws without penetration of moisture and dirt between the layers through such holes. The various members or parts of the sign may consist of other than said materials. The front plate preferably consists of such a material that it withstands exterior damage when in traffic, e.g. flying stones, moisture, intensive washing etc.. The information applied onto the portions 16 may except for registration symbols be information about state code and/or state symbol and/or national colour and/or national flag. The registration symbols can be applied onto consecutive portions 16 in alphabetical and numerical order for a certain customer and in a non-alphabetical and non-numerical order for another customer. The plant illustrated in the drawings may vary e.g. with regard to type and number of stations in view of the type of signs to be produced and the number of layers in each sign.

Claims: Registration sign for vehicles, which sign (2) includes a film portion (16) of a film web (6), said film portion (16) being provided with registration symbols or characters (3) made from toner material (25) which is applied on a surface (23) of said film portion (16) reflecting light from headlamps, by means of an electronic printer (24), the film portion (16) being located between a bottom plate (18) and a front plate (12) of such transparent material that the registration characters (3) on said film portion (16) are visible therethrough, characterized in that the registration symbols or characters are made by a ionographic printer (24) wherein the toner material (25) is fixed on the surface of said film portion (16) with pressure by a cold pressure fixing method, that a frame (21) is provided to surround a sign package (38) comprising the bottom plate (18), the front plate (12) and the film portion (16) located therebetween in such a way that said frame (21) obstructs penetration of moisture and/or contaminations into said sign package, and prevents invisible manipulation thereof, and that the frame (21) is an injection moulded plastic frame which sealingly close the sign package (38) at all sides thereof. Sign according to claim 1, characterized in that the film portion (16) provided with the registration characters (3) consists of such material and/or is located so that unauthorized damage thereon can not be hidden by attempts to restore said portion to its original condition. Sign according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the front plate (12) consists of material that withstands exterior damage while in traffic, e.g. flying stones, moisture and intensive washing. Sign according to any preceding claim, characterized in that those portions of the frame (21) which engage the underside of the bottom plate (18) and the upper or top side of the front plate (12) consists of such similar plastic material that said frame portions by heating can be brought to fuse or melt together with said bottom plate (18) and said front plate (12) and preferably of such similar or closely related plastic material that the entire sign is recoverable. Sign according to any preceding claim, characterized in that the frame (21) has a substantially U-shaped cross section, whereby the web portion (40) thereof from the outside covers the edges of the bottom plate (18), the film portion (16) and the front plate (12), whereby one shank (41) thereof sealingly engages the underside of the bottom plate (18) while the other shank (42) sealingly engages the upper side of the front plate (12). Sign according to any preceding claim, characterized in that the film portion (16) and the bottom plate (18) are attached to each other along at least the major part, preferably all parts, of their opposed surfaces and that said film portion (16) and the front plate (12) are attached to each other along at least the major part, preferably all parts, of their opposed sides. Sign according to claim 6, characterized in that the bottom plate (18) has a layer (39) of binding agent, preferably an adhesive layer, through which the film portion (16) is attached to the bottom plate (18) and that the front plate (12) either includes a layer of binding agent, preferably an adhesive layer, through which the film portion (16) and the front plate (12) are attached to each other or that said front plate (12) and said film portion (16) are attached to each other through layers (36, 37) of binding agent. Sign according to claim 1, characterized in that the toner material (25) is applied on the surface (23) of said film portion (16) reflecting light from head lamps by means of a printer (24) which is controlled to apply registration characters (3) in accordance with a program including ordered registration characters. Sign according to any preceding claim, characterized in that said film portion (16) except for registration characters (3) also includes other symbols or characters. Method for manufacturing registration signs for vehicles according to claim 1, whereby a film web (6) or a row of separate film portions (16) are fed through an electronic printer (24) wherein said film web (6) or separate film portions (16) are provided with registration characters by electronically variable application of toner material (25), said electronic printer (24) being controlled by a computer in accordance with a predetermined program recorded in the computer, characterized in that the electronic printer is an ionographic printer (24) wherein the toner material (25) is fixed on the reflecting surface of the film web (6) or film portions (16) with pressure by a cold pressure fixing method, that said program is recorded on a diskette (33) preferably by a customer, that each film portion (16) carrying registration characters, is placed between a bottom plate (18) and a transparent front plate (12) preferably of such material which withstands exterior damages occuring while in traffic, and that a frame (21) is injection moulded around the edges of a package (38) comprising said film portion (16) between said bottom plate (18) and said front plate (12), such that said frame prevents penetration of moisture and dirt in between said portion (16) and said plates. Method according to claim 10, characterized in that each film portion (16) is placed between said bottom plate (18) and said transparent front plate (12) and that said bottom plate (18), film portion (16) and front plate (12) are sealingly attached, preferably with an air-tight seal, to each other to prevent penetration of moisture and/or dirt therebetween. Method according to claim 11, characterized in that said bottom plate (18) and said film portion (16) are adhesively secured to each other along at least the major part, preferably all parts, of their opposed surfaces and that the front plate (12) and the film portion (16) are adhesively secured to each other directly or through a transparent, on both sides adhering plastic film (9) along at least the major part, preferably all parts, of their opposed sides. Method according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that a sign package (38) comprising said bottom plate (18), said front plate (12) and said film portion (16) is provided with a frame (21) which is brought to surround said sign package (38) such that said frame prevents penetration of moisture and/or dirt into said sign package. Method according to any of claims 10 - 13, characterized in that registration characters (3) are continuously applied on the web (6) while said web is continuously fed through the ionographic printer (24), that said web (6) after the application of registration characters (3) is continuously cut in film portions (16), that said film portions (16) are continuously combined with at least front plates (12) of transparent material and that frames (21) are continuously injection moulded around said film portions (16) and said front plates (12) combined therewith. Method according to claim 14, characterized in that said film portions (16) combined with said front plates (12) are continuously combined with said bottom plates (18) so that said film portions (16) are located between said front plates (12) and said bottom plates (18). Method according to any of claims 10 - 15, characterized in that said web (6), which is continuously fed through the ionographic printer (24) and continuously provided with registration characters therein, is a film web (6) which is continuously provided with a transparent, on both sides adhering plastic film web (9) which by means of a layer (36) of a binding agent on one side thereof is fixed on an information-carrying side of said web (6) provided with registration characters (3) in said ionographic printer (24), that said front plates (12) of transparent material are continuously supplied to said webs (6, 9) and fixed by means of a layer (37) of a binding agent on the other side of said plastic film web (9), that said webs (6, 9) with front plates (12) provided thereon are continuously cut to define film portions (16), that said bottom plates (18) are continuously supplied to said film portions (16) and fixed thereon to provide sign packages (38) consisting of members attached to each other, and that these sign packages (38) are continuously supplied to an injection moulding station wherein they are continuously provided with injection moulded frames (21). Method according to any of claims 10 - 16, characterized in that a counter pressure roll (27) is used as a holder-on for the film web (6) when toner material (25) is fixed on the surface (23) thereof reflecting light from head lamps, whereby transfer and fixation of the toner material (25) occur in the same process. Method according to any of claims 10 - 17, characterized in that registration characters (3) are applied on a travelling web (6) of such material and/or mounted such that unauthorized damage thereof can not be hidden by attempts to restore said web to its original condition. Method according to any of claims 10 - 18, characterized in that the ionographic printer (24) is controlled to apply on the web (6) in accordance with a predetermined program registration characters (3) in a predetermined numerical order.

Inventors: PARKANDER GOETHE ANDERS KRISTE, PARKANDER, GOETHE ANDERS KRISTER, Parkander, Göthe Anders Krister
Applicants: STRALFORS AB
Application year: 1994
Main classification: B60R13
IPC codes: G03G7, B60R13, G03G15